Remote-controlled display device for selectively displaying signs or words



March 17, 1970 E. CAPELLARI 3,501,761

REMOTE-CONTROLLED DISPLAY DEVICE FOR SELECTIVELY DISPLAYING SIGNS ORWORDS Filed June '7, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet l March 17, 1970 E. CAPELLARI3,591,761

REMOTE-CONTROLLED DISPLAY DEVICE FOR SELECTIVELY DISPLAYING SIGNS ORWORDS Filed June '7, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 [1 D DU U H Um UUUBEDUH [1UBUD Uunnn UUUU United States Patent U.S. Cl. 340324 2 Claims ABSTRACT OFTHE DISCLOSURE A remotely controlled display device comprises a rotarycarrier having a plurality of indicia displaying vanes hingedly mountedthereon for selectively displaying the indicia at each position of aplurality of rotational positions, the carrier being connected to amotor which has a remote control Supply circuit. Connected to the supplycircuit is a control circuit which has a given number of leads adaptedfor relative parallel connection each including a contact endindividually contacting portions of a rotary roller type switch assemblyhaving the given number of circular switch portions each with conductiveand non-conductive segments, said assembly being rotatably connected tothe carrier for phased concurrent rotation therewith. The connectionbetween the supply circuit and the control circuit is such that as apotential is applied to a remotely selected group of leads and as thecontrol circuit is opened by simultaneously contacting of all contactends of the group on non-conductive segments, the supply to the motor iscut off, thereby stopping the carrier at a remotely predeterminedindicia displaying position.

This invention relates to an indicator or display device, of the typehaving movable blades, whereon signs or words or other indicia aremarked, said blades being pivotally connected to a motor-driven rotarycarrier about an axis thereof, such indicator comprising one or moreoperating and remote-control means, by which different coded systems areutilized.

Substantial savings can be attained, over already known indicatorsystems, by said indicator, owing both to the simplified design and tothe easy operation thereof, as well as to the small number of means thatare required for its remote controlled operation, in addition to abetter and faultless operation and service.

An object of the invention is to provide a remotel controllable devicefor selectively operating a carrier having a plurality of blades, whichare roll-like pivotally connected to a central shaft, and by whichdifferent indicia or indications are shown at each one of a plurality ofangular positions, said central shaft being operated by an electricmotor, which is in turn controlled by a circuitry comprising a motorfeeding circuit, a selective remotely controlled circuit, having aplurality of leads that can be parallel-connected, and that terminatewith contacts designed to operate on different sections of a drumcontactor having conductive segments and non-conductive segments, andthat is torsionally connected with the blade roll, and said controlcircuit being connected, in turn, with the motor feeding circuit, insuch a manner that said motor is started by applying a voltage to aremotely selected given group of leads of the latter circuit, and keepsrunning as long, as the at least one of the contacts associated with theleads of said group are contacting one conductive segment of said drumcontactor and deactivated when all said contacts abut non-conductiveparts, such condition corresponding to a pre-established angularposition of blade roll.

Patented Mar. 17, 1970 According to the invention, the control circuitcomprises one of the phases of the motor feeding circuit, or one phaseof the circuit by which the coil of a relay is fed, the movable contactsof said relay being connected in the motor feeding circuit, whereas inanother embodiment of the invention, said control circuit comprisesdiodes, and is parallel-connected with a second circuit having a diodedirected opposite to said first diodes, the motor being fed by bothphases of an AC. source, and stopped when, due to the disconnection ofall leads of said group, one phase of the A.C. is cut off.

The device according to the invention advantageously actuates a carrierhaving a plurality of blades pivotally connected with spaced supportsdistributed along the axis of said carrier, at least a part of saidsupports being slidingly fitted on the shaft of the carrier. Inaddition, the device may be provided with a motor, that is remotecontrolled by said control circuit, and that is torsionally connectedwith a positioning mechanism through which extends the feeding circuitof a further motor, by which at least one blade roller display assemblyis operated, and

- that can be stopped in a given angular position, corresponding to astop position of the positioning mechanism, and that correspond, onturn, to the stop position of said blade roll.

. Further features and advantages of the invention will be apparent froma consideration of the following, detailed description, taken with theaccompanying drawings, both description and drawings being given as anonrestrictive example only. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of the device according to theinvention.

FIG 2. is a section, taken on a plane perpendicular to that of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows a positioning mechanism, that is preferably designed to actin the case of concurrent remote control of at least two blade rollers.

FIG. 4 is a development on a plane of the controller of the deviceaccording to the invention.

FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 show examples of wiring diagrams of the device.

FIG. 8 shows a parallel connection of two devices, shown in simplifiedform and each connected to a threelead control circuit.

Referring now to above drawings, the remote controlled display device,as shown, is fitted with forty movable blades 1, that are pivotallyconnected to disks 2, 3 and 4, supported and rotated by a shaft 5, whichis operated by a motor 6 through the gearing 7. When said motor 6 isactivated the movable blades-of which the upper one is kept in avertical position by a springare sequentially brought before the frontwindow of the device, whereby the indications carried by the bladesbecomes visible. The control drum 8, that is driven by the motor 6,consists of a cylinder made of an insulating material, whereon anapertured coating made of a conductive material is fitted, the aperturesof said coating defining a plurality of insulating sections, arrangedaccording to a code, as shown by the development in a plane of said drum(see FIG. 4).

Resting on control drum 8 are a series of stationary contacts or brushes9, which number depends on the selected code; in the particular case ofa 3/8 code (as shown in the figure) eight contacts or brushes areprovided, while an additional contact or brush serves for the return ofcurrent. In fact, when the circuit by which of the contacts of saidgroup, being the control group selected and operated by means of knowndevices (see for example, US. Patent 3,366,751), which are located at agiven distance from the remote controlled indicator.

Further details can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2: the blades 1 areindividually connected to the disks 2, 3 and 4 by means of pins 10,which extend into holes 11 of said disks. The disks 3 and 4 are free toaxially slide along said shaft 5, in order to compensate for thermalexpansion. For such a purpose, a polygonal shaped central aperture,similar to the cross sectional shape of the Shaft, is formed on saiddisks. The reference mark 12, carried by the disks, allows to have therelated holes 11 to be accurately aligned, said disks being identicaland made from a single die.

FIGS. 1 and 3 show a device by which the master apparatus can be relayedto the remote controlled indicator when a substantial time is requiredfor positioning the blades thereof, which is the case when use is madeof heavy long blades. In such a case, a short-blade device (not shown)and the control drum 8 are driven, possibly directly, by the motor -6.Keyed on the shaft of said control drum 8 are conductive disks 13, 14,which are connected by sliding contacts 15 and 16 with an auxiliarymotor 17 to serve as the control circuit of latter motor. Motor 17 isclosed by a microswitch 18, and drivingly connected with the shaft ofdrum 8 which is electrically connected with the disks 13 and 14. Saidmicroswitch 18 is in turn operated by a lever 19, secured to a gear 20,which forms a part of the gear train by which the motor 17 is connectedwith the shaft of the blades or vanes carrier and which gear is loosefitted on the shaft of the drum 8. The starting of motor 6 results in aquick rotation of drum 8, whereby the microswitch 18 is pulled apartfrom the lever 19, with consequent starting of motor 17, that keepsturning until the lever 19, rotated together with the gear 20, comesagain into engagement with the microswitch 18, which in the meantime hasbeen stopped, thereby cutting off the supply to the motor 17. 5

FIG. 5 shows a wiring diagram of the device, wherein it is assumed thatan alternating voltage is fed to brushes 9, through a group of leadsselected amongst the leads 23 of circuit 21, for example to the brushesthat are designed to contact the tracks b-d-g of drum (see FIG. 4); avoltage is therefore applied to motor 6, that is connected with thefeeding circuit 22, as long as even one brush only, is into contact witha conductive part of the control drum 10, while said motor is stoppedonly when the three insulated sections of codedly apertured coating ofdrum are encountered by all the three brushes.

When more than one display devices are to be simultaneously remotelycontrolled by one master apparatus, the diagram of Fig. 6 is preferablyutilized. In such embodiment, an alternating current is alternately fedthrough the code leads 23 by diodes 28, and said circuit 21 is parallelconnected with a second circuit 24, which comprises a diode 26, directedopposite to said diodes 28, whereby the motor -6, which is fed throughthe two parallel-connected circuits with both phases of an alternatingcurrent, is stopped when, on disconnecting all leads of the remotelyselected group, the feed of one of the A.C. polarities is discontinued,while the other polarity is interrupted by a capacitor 27. Thus, bymeans of said diodes 28 and 28', a return of current through the centrallead 25 to already positioned drum 10, which may be caused by a delay inthe positioning by the part of one of drums 10' as diagrammaticallyshown in FIG. 8is positively pre- 4 vented, thus excluding also afurther, undesired rotation of drum 10.

Finally, if direct current operation is required or preferred, e.g. inthe case of transistorized control devices, the wiring diagram of FIG. 7may be used where the motor 6 is controlled not directly by the controlsystem, but through a relay 29, having movable contacts 29'. Even inthis latter case, the diodes are series connected with each code lead,and designed to prevent mutual current reversals, when more remotecontrolled indicators are to be simultaneously operated.

What is claimed is:

1. A remotely controlled display device comprising a rotary carrierhaving a plurality of indicia displaying vanes hingedly mountedthereabout for selectively displaying different indicia in each positionof a plurality of rotational positions of said carrier, an A.C. motordrivingly connected to said carrier, a remotely controlled supplycircuit for said motor and comprising one lead connected between a firstterminal of an A.C. current source and a first terminal of said motorand another lead connecting the second terminal of said source to afirst connection point, and a control circuit comprising a first leadconnected between said first connection point and a second connectionpoint and including a first rectifier preventing the passage of onepolarity, a second lead connecting said second connection point to theother terminal of said motor, and a given number of leads adapted forrelative parallel connection, a rotary roller-type switch assemblyrotatively connected to said carrier for concurrent phased rotationtherewith, said switch assembly including a plurality of circular switchportions equal in number to said given number of leads, each of thelatter leads having a contact end individually contacting circularswitch portions of said switch assembly, each circular switch portionhaving conductive and non-conductive segments, each lead of said givennumber of leads comprising a further rectifier connected for passage ofpolarity opposite to said one polarity, whereby both polarities of A.C.current are applied to said motor until the contacting end of at leastone of said leads remotely and selectively connected to said firstconnecting point contacts a conductive segment of said switch assembly,and a pulsing current of said one polarity is supplied to said secondconnecting point when all contacting ends of said remotely selectedleads simultaneously contact nonconductive segments, for cutting offA.C. current to said motor thereby stopping said carrier at a remotelypredetermined indicia displaying position.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, comprising a condenser connected insaid second lead to prevent passage of said pulsing current to saidmotor.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,041,597 6/1962 Caferro et al.340-324 3,192,656 7/ 1965 Christensen 4072 3,249,742 5/ 1966 Buschbaum340324 3,323,121 5/1967 Burton et a1. 340-324 2,905,935 9/1959 Bolie340-347 3,406,322 10/1968 De Dude 31833 THOMAS B. HABECKER, PrimaryExaminer M. M. CURTIS, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

